#TheArchivedNeedsaThirdBook

Synopsis:

Mackenzie Bishop is a Keeper. She helps maintain the separation between our world and the Archive–where lives are stored as Histories after death, only able to be read by Librarians. But sometimes, the Histories wake up and try to escape. Since a young age, Mackenzie was trained by her grandfather to track these Histories down and return them to the Archive. When her family moves to an old hotel-turned-apartments following the death of her younger brother, Mackenzie must try to deal with her grief, the quirky boy-next-door, a mysterious old murder, an unusual number of escaping Histories, and a mysterious boy in the shadows between worlds.

Review:

I loved these two books. Obviously, I love the library elements of the world. The afterlife as an archive. Returns. Librarians (especially David Tennant Roland). But, I also loved the creepy hotel and secret passages unlocked by special keys. Being able to “read” histories. An old, unsolved murder.

Mackenzie is a great lead character. Strong, relatable, independent, yet flawed and uncertain at times. I appreciate that she is physically and mentally strong character (she would totally win in a fist-fight), but she wasn’t solely defined by her strength. She deals with grief, makes mistakes and tries to fix them, worries about if she’s doing the right thing, and struggles to balance the different parts of her life.

I’ll admit, Wesley (aka “Guyliner”) was a bit much for me at times, but I got used to it. Now, I can usually forgive Wesley his quirkiness.

Apparently, it is uncertain whether the series will be continued, which is why I thought I’d get my vote for the series out there (and the source of the hashtag post title). The books are really fun, interesting reads, and Victoria Schwab should get a chance to finish them!

The Book Owls is a blog devoted to all things books from four book-loving owls from the Midwest. We love our YA books, but branch out into all other genres. Get to know us below!

Madeleine roosts, reads, and writes from the Twin Cities. When not reading, she can be found working in a library.

Just like Nox's name suggests, when it comes reading, the darker the book the better. A NoDak native, Nox currently roosts in Wyoming.

Sonya reads and writes about books from her nest in North Dakota. She can often be found working at the library, reading, watching way too many different TV shows, or cuddling with her ridiculously adorable and badly behaved cat, Leroy.

Zelda may be the smallest owl, but her beautiful magenta plumage makes her the brightest. She loves to read YA fiction and is a lifelong Harry Potter fan.